Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar warned that Congress ministers will resign from the state Cabinet if Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) does not support Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate
for the 2029 General Elections.
Speaking at the assumption-of-office ceremony of George Robinson, who took charge as President of the Kanyakumari West District Congress Committee on Saturday, Rajesh Kumar said Rahul Gandhi would become the Prime Minister of India in 2029.
The warning comes at a sensitive juncture for the TVK-led coalition government, which brought the Congress back into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet for the first time since 1967. The Congress has two ministerial berths in the government headed by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with 108 seats, falling short of the 118-seat majority mark in the 234-member House. The party subsequently secured the support of the Congress and other parties to form a coalition government, with Vijay taking charge as Chief Minister.
Congress’s return to the state Cabinet marked a significant political shift. The party had been out of the Tamil Nadu government since 1967, including during periods when it supported DMK governments from outside.
Rajesh Kumar’s remarks come amid growing attempts by TVK leaders to project Vijay as a potential prime ministerial contender for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna had earlier said that the country’s top office should be occupied by a leader from Tamil Nadu. The debate gained further traction after a survey ranked Vijay among the leading choices for prime minister, behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi.
